Information of every type gleaned from sources everywhere by a rowdy and ribald woman researcher and writer. Everything related to peace in any way is fair game and no attempt is made to have this be a journalistic (at least not in the corporate media sense) endeavor. I'm biased. I'm progressive. I'm female. Live with it.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Just another beautiful day in Tucson. Woke up, showered, dressed in pink, went to Bentley’s for a single short in the dark (all they serve coffeewise is Fair Trade Coffee), made a few signs and zipped off to the protest. I got to the weekly protest on the sidewalk in front of the Recruiting Center on Speedway Blvd. at about five before the hour -- 7:55 a.m. There were already 20 or so people there plus the Grannies and the news crews.

Grannies.... you know those womderful Tucson Raging Grannies who were arrested for criminal trespass (punishable by up to 39 days in jail and a $500 fine (cripes that is probably more than their Social Security...)when they attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army but the recruiters refused to listen to their prepared statement about why they wanted to enlist.

Army Recruiting in any form was conspicuously absent. One non-protester I spoke with (who shall remain anonymous) told me the Army recruiters closed today "because of you guys." Hmmmmm. I guess the recruiters just were not up to facing national media asking them why they they had a bunch of little old ladies and journalists arrested as a first recourse when those ladies and journalists vacated their office within a minute of being asked to leave two weeks ago.

Not all recruiters are as plain old hostile as the ones here in Tucson. I don’t know what kind of bug they have where, but simple courtesy could have diffused the situation even before it became a situation. And now they are running from the protesters, news folks, and Raging Grannies. That strikes me as simply yellow running scared. I will try to get some pics up of the event but I was too busy talking to cops, who had far more officers there than the situation called for, and holding signs and talking to like minded folks to take pics today. I can't protest and do journalist documentation at the same time. I keep those roles quite separate.

This last fact about the overabundance of police disturbs me. Tucson is a large city in the state with the highest crime rate in the nation. We’ve had several murders here within the city limits within the past week. I confess I didn’t do a careful count but there were at least 4 bicycle cops, a couple regular cops, and one women officer who I could not determine what capacity she was there in and two motorcycle cops showed up to drive by shortly after 8 a.m. All this unnecessary show of force does is convince me that the current administration in the White House has diverted a totally unjustified amount of resources into instilling fear in the populace to the detriment of real safety and security in our communities. This extends all the way from the horrific cost of war that is paid internationally in human lives to the City Goverment level where the climate of fear suddenly calls for massive police presence at protests that have been going on peaceably for the last three years. That is criminal.

While I was holding a banner with a CODEPINK friend and colleague I had opportunity to speak with a well spoken bike officer. (The sign, by the way, read “ Send Rove to Iraq to Fight, NOT our families and friends.”) I was telling my friend the story Medea Benjamin tells in How To Stop The Next War Now about how South American police officers were present at demonstrations to protect the rights of the protestors – because it is a democracy. The officer and I began speaking after this, and by the end of the conversation he had told at least one passerby that they were “there to protect the protesters.”

I don’t know if he believed that, I can’t read minds, but it is good to hear those words coming the mouths of police officers. It is sort of like smiling when you feel sad. The smiling actually helps you feel better. (That old physio-chemical interaction thing.) Same with those words, if we can get enough of our law enforcement officers saying that they are there to protect our right to peaceably assemble and exercise free speech, we have made significant inroads against the opposition’s attempts to divide us into warring factions here at home.

We are all Americans who love our country and are trying to protect it as best we know how. Now if we can just reach those folks like the young man whose face was filled with hatred and rage as he drove by today and flipped the bird at us, we will have turned the tide.

The Grannies are certainly doing their part. They were beautiful this morning. These are caring and fun loving women who educate through song. They are great people. I can’t wait to see what the national morning show (Today Show) does with the film from the demonstration and from the Raging Granny practice (they are a chorus and they do have regular practices) at which the crew was to film immediately after the protest. This practice, by the way, was being held at the local WILPF president’s house --- she is 93.

These women are effectively our council of elders, our grandmothers’ council – akin to the Iroquois Grandmothers’ Council whose role was to have the final say as to whether war was necessary when the warriors brought the request to them. We need these women. We need to hear what their collective centuries of wisdom have to teach us. They may be tough ol’ broads, but they know how to enjoy life. Anger destroys; humor builds and informs.

Our military should not be afraid of our own grandmothers nor of their wisdom or songs.

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Just as an endnote.... a CODEPINK representative came down from CODEPINK Phoenix to show support for our Tucson Raging Grannies. That’s a two-hour drive for a one-hour protest. That is belief in and support of these ladies. Four hours of driving in thermometer busing temperatures. That is how passionately we believe in our Grannies! Fortunately we did have some time to chat over coffee and chai after the event...as I wanted to drop off some printed copies of the Downing Street Memo so people can read it so she didn't have to drive back immediately. The one thing we decided over coffee -- Kyl and McCain may come from Arizona, but they do not represent us. I personally believe that Congressman Raul Grijalva is the only Representative from Arizona who truly represents the people and not corporate interests. Geesh, when are we going to get busy passing laws that distinguish people from corporate entities? It makes no sense to say that Corporations have a right to free speech. People have rights. Corporations should just be given privileges which can be revoked if they engage in actions harmful to people. But that is better left for another blog entry....

Monday, July 25, 2005

The Tucson Citizen covered this morning's arraignment of the Raging Grannies for criminal trespass who attempted to enlist in the Army on July 13th. If found guilty the Grannies could face 39 days in jail and a $500.

July 25, 2005

`Raging Grannies' given court date for contesting trespass charges

The Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. - Five older women known as the "Tucson Raging Grannies" pleaded innocent Monday to misdemeanor trespassing charges lodged when they tried to enlist at a military recruitment center.

A City Court judge set an Aug. 19 pretrial hearing for the women, who range from 55 to 81 years old - decades older than the maximum age for recruits.

The women are "pretty thoroughly antiwar; we're concerned about the environment and what's happening to civil liberties," said Patricia Birnie, a spokeswoman who was with the women who entered a recruiting center on July 13. She was not cited.

Birnie said two recruiters told the group not to enter, but the women said they had come to enlist, read a statement and sang two protest songs. By the time they returned to the sidewalk outside, police had arrived, she said, and one of the men inside "pointed to those of us who should be cited."

The Tucson Raging Grannies have protested outside the recruitment center on Wednesdays for the past three years, and contend that recruits have been lied to, Birnie said.

The women were serious about enlisting, she added. "We feel that our lives are pretty well used up and that the young people so many times are killed in battle or come home traumatized," she said.

There is much to write and so little time to write it. Just heard from one of the Raging Grannies. (And what media coverage of their arrest for attempting to enlist. 10 days after the July 13th event.... but the issue was hot over the weekend! More on that in a bit.)

According to a message left on my phone by a "Granny" at 9:30 a.m., there was a good turn out for the press conference they held in front of the Tucson City Court at 8 a.m. today. I wanted to cover the event, but my attorney asked me not to show up at the court as we asked for a continuance. According to this source, arraignment went quickly and smoothly. Their court date is set for August 19th. I haven't heard how the arraignment of the cited journalists turned out. And, I have not heard when my new arraignment date will be.

The Grannies emerged from their court appearance into the bright Tucson day to gather together to sing a couple of the classic Raging Granny songs. At the end of these songs one Granny raised her fist and shouted, "Power to the Peaceful!" The folks gathered around them cheered in approval.

I don't have the specific song lyrics of the songs they performed today, but here are some of the lyrics to a couple of my favorite songs of theirs.

NO BUSINESS LIKE WAR BUSINESS

There’s no business like war businessThe worst business we knowNever mind the homeless and the hungry,Never mind the people without jobsNowhere can you get that special feelingThan when you’re – piling up the bombs.

There’s no business like war businessThe best business we knowMultinational profits going through the skyThey multiply while children dieThe same amount buys food and clothesFor everyone all over the world.

RIGHT TO BE HEARD(tune: Puff the Magic Dragon)

Without the right to protestWhere would we be?There’d be no votes for women yetAnd no democracy.Blacks still segregatedThe poor would have no schoolsSmall tots still working in the minesWhile rich folk set the rules.

Now we’re going backwardThe Patriot Act is inDetaining people without causeShould be a cardinal sinGood people, see what’s going onFind power in the word.The right to speak for what is rightYour right to be heard.

Now there’s silent searchesThey’re taking all our rightsProtesters are called terroristsWho dare to rage and fightGood people, see what’s going onFind power in the word.The right to speak for what is rightYour right is to be heard

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One of the most interesting aspects of this whole escalating story is that these wonderfully sassy women were not doing civil disobedience the day they were arrested. They were trying to enlist. The statement they read at the Enlistment office was a statement of why they wanted to enlist. (I will try to get a copy of the statement and post it here.) It was not a protest. Yes, they have protested in front of the recruitment center once a week (Wednesday mornings) for the past three years. Did they think they would be granted an age exemption? I can't say. I'm not a Granny.

These are idealistic, sincere women. For those of you who don't know... The Raging Grannies are a "project" within the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. I've admired the ability of WILPF to frame issues of the day in compelling and salient ways ever since their "It will be a great day when teachers have all the money they need and the military has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber" poster that I first saw in the mid-1970s. WILPF has been around for 90 years. Peace is a "women's issue."

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The most disturbing component of this evolving Granny is the vehement hatred, hostility and murderous rage purported patriots direct at people who oppose the war. The vile threats made in the comments section of the Arizona Indy Media article are truly disturbing and show a very dark side of "patriotism." While the true nature of the U.S. may now have more to do with the evolution of corporate rights based in the commerce clause, most Americans feel is the essence of America is contained within our liberty to think, speak, and gather together without fear of repression or punishment by the by the government. But people want to silence us and punish us for attempting to insure that the essence of America remains uncorrupted even in the face of adversity such as the expansion of terror attacks onto U.S. soil.

I am saddened by the inability of so many Americans to see that attacks on people are used by entities who do not want to, or cannot, defend the issues and events. The "attack the person rather than the message" mentality perpetrated by Linbaugh, Rove, and Cheney/Bush harms our nation. Lies must be exposed for they can live on as history. Liars are less important as they will eventually be exposed or die.

It is unfortunate that folks such as The Grannies have to employ the methodology of the "cult of the person" in order to even be heard. In this 21st Century issues and arguments cannot play out on TV in 15 second spots. Only images and icons can convey meaning to the masses (Geesh... just like the images and icons used used by The Church in the dark ages to convey meaning to the illiterate masses! I think I may be on to something here.) So "Bush Good = War Good" messages of the government can only be countered by equally simplistic methodologies employed by "singing grandmother in a funny old hat and shawl" or "women in pink lingerie unfurling a pink banner" calling for peace.

I personally think it is good that peaceful, people oriented folks are now able to counter the messages of prowar, corporate entites in a way that does provide counterpoint that is noticed by the media and the masses. But even these small steps do not bring any balance of representation back into the U.S. government. And should that balance be restored.... we still would not have returned to a culture of ideas backed up by reason and illustrated through artful, informative argument built around facts. This is the true enemy we must disempower -- ignorance.

I may just be a cock-eyed (no comments from the peanut gallery please) optimist, but compassion and justice will only arise when education and information are given more respect and attention than power and money.

We have to build a different society. We can do it.

Power to the peaceful!

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Known media coverage of Raging Grannies Attempted Enlistment on July 13 (as of 7-24-05)

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Yesterday in Tucson criminal trespass charges were filed against a group of women whose youngest members were generously estimated to be above retirement age and members of The Raging Grannies, a project within WILPF. Targeted members of the press and a writer doing photodocumentation of the event were also given criminal trespass citations. The Grannies were attempting to enlist in the Army so that they might take the place of some of America's precious youth who they believe are serving in an unjust war entered into under false pretenses. They had hoped that their enlistment might grant them access to Iraqi grandmothers and that by working together that these elder wise women of the two societies might begin a process of diplomatic resolution to a horrifically tragic war.

Instead, recruiters ignored the presence and words of the women who, ironically and iconically, are the very essence of who and what American Troops supposedly protect. But the recruiters noticed enough to call the police to remove the Grannies. Reason, if employed by the recruiters, would have dictated that the women would have left shortly anyway after finishing the reading their statement about why they wanted to enlist because some of the courageous women were truly elderly. At least one of the more fragile and elderly of the women was overheard to say, when queried about whether she wanted to join a protest taking place outside the center after the Grannies had left the Army Recruiting Center, "No, I really can't stand up much longer." This was the condition of the "criminal trespassers" that the recruiters felt they had to file charges against. Shameful. No wonder the Army had to stand down in May to retrain recruiters in ethics. Perhaps they need another stand down day.

Another aspect of the behavior of the Army Recruiters that is worthy of scrutiny is the decision of Sgt. Richardson to point out a writer/anthropologist taking pictures of the event who was not associated with the Grannies, as well as an Independent Media Reporter wearing a Press badge, for criminal trespass citation. Initial reason given by the police for which individuals were being cited was, "Well, he (pointing to Sgt. Richardson) pointed them out." This prompted protest from the woman doing documentary that she was not part of the Grannies and was acting in a function similar to that of the press. After a few minutes the police then gave the reason for citing non-Granny observers and documentors as"the reporters were not inside the office." (This is interesting to note as the parking lot is also private property and effectively no different from the office.) Several people then informed the officer that this also was not the case and that reporters were, indeed, in the office with the Grannies, and also then asked the officers, "Would you (the police) like to see photos and film showing that?" TPD officer S. Morken then conferred with rhe recruiter Sgt. Richardson. When further questioned about the selective ticketing of people, they said no people inside the office could identify individual members of the press as being inside the office. A woman reporter dressed in pink and the cameraman for Channel 13 were then pointed out by some of the people already cited. At that time selective ticketing of reporters then began again. Some people present noted that police slowed processing at this point giving some reporters the opportunity to leave without being cited.

So did Sgt Richardson decide to point out people in addition to the Grannies based on something other than the current situation? It seems likely. The non-Granny photograper had been inside the office a few months ago to try to get information on how to opt out of the Army "lists" when her 15 year old daughter began receiving information from the Army and an unpleasant exchange between the two ensued. It was likely that he recognized her from that encounter. The woman also helps organize CODEPINK actions, but she was not acting in that capacity, had no protest signs, was not wearing pink, and stayed with the reporters during the Granny action so as not to become involved. Acts such as these by recruiters smack of retribution and show just how desperate recruiters are being made by the pressure to find recruits to fight an unjustified war with dubious tactics. This is disturbing at many levels, but for me the most significant aspect is that honorable and brave men and women willing to risk their lives for their country are being backed into corners as a consequence of political deceit and manipulation. These recruiters have been conditioned by a climate of the end justifies the means to act to squelch the very freedoms and liberties which they are to defend and which at one time motivated the creation of a just state the entire world respected.

Another disturbing aspect of this is that the Tucson Police Department is seemingly being used as a goon squad to help intimidate the populace. I'm sadly reminded of a counter example of an incident in which Medea Benjamin recounts her amazement at a gathering in a South American country where protestors were drowning out a speaker and when she questioned why the distruptive hecklers were not removed, she was told, "But this is a democracy. The police were here to protect them and their right to protest." At best our country has forgotten this, at worst some in our own country are consciously working to destroy our democracy.

My cynical side says we in Tucson are a test case for significant forays into conscious attempts to restrict and repress participatory democracy. Why Tucson? I mean how many local political fundraisers does Karl Rove fly in to attend? Rove was recently here for just that reason. For the same reason the Prop 200 legislation, that denies basic government services to anyone who does not produce papers proving their U.S.citizenship, in AZ was initiated and funded by out of state interests. National and international corporate interests are meddling in local matters for many reasons. We are on the border that may well be targeted by our enemies as a point of entry with significant targets within 200 miles of that border area. DM Airforce Base, here in Tucson, trains not just our Air Force but the world's Air Forces how to pilot the planes we sell them. Raytheon, also here in Tucson, makes missiles fired by these fighters. We have unique ecosystems with vanishing species whose presence impedes corporate agricultural interests, and other corporate development interests.

Tucson is an activist mecca rivaled only by Austin and large coastsl cities. The Peace Fair in Tucson earlier this year had over 90 booths representing local groups. And this very large number of activist groups is with a good number of local activists abstaining from participation because of the purported "extreme leftist views" of the organizing groups. The fact that Tucson is a liberal enclave does not sit well with those corporate interests that feel their interests would be far better served if Tucson were significantly party-line Republican like Phoenix. We are such a progressive community in a decidedly libertarian state that we are a target for Neocon corporate backed interference in local and regional actions such as GOP redistricting so as to turn a slighter greater number of registered Republicans into a significant outnumbering of Republican dominated districts over Democratic areas. Tucson has little chance of having influence state and local races. Politically motivated voting shenanigans are currently being investigated in Tucson. If they can squelch dissent in Tucson, manipulate votes, and disarm the issues that play out here with double-speak and attacking the messenger rather than the message they are well on their way to usurping democracy everywhere. But the Tucson progressive community is not likely to be intimidated and will continue to be the media, fight the fights, and build the peace here and across the nation because they are true patriots defending the ideas and constructs that made these United States great.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

My, what an interesting morning. I was driving down Speedway Blvd. toward Ike's Coffee and Tea at about 8:45 a.m. when I saw the weekly recruiting protest and decided to stop and document the Raging Grannies attempting to enlist. Yesterday I had heard that they might do this and I seriously thought of joining them, but I’m single parenting this week and decided I couldn’t afford a brush with the law. I had my camera with me and wasn’t in my pink attire so I thought I would put on my writer anthropologist hat and document the event. Other press and journalists were there, so I figured if I stayed with them I could figure out what the limits of documentation of an event like this are.

So I parked just past the event and walked back toward it taking photos from across the street, in the median, down the block and then when the Grannies went toward the recruiting station, I followed. I stuck next to the guy from Indy media and didn’t enter to take photos until the people from Channel 13, KOLD, entered. I documented the event with about 80 photos. Pat Birnie of the Raging Grannies reading a prepared statement from the Grannies, a group within WILPF (the women’s international league for peace and freedom). I left when asked and just continued the documentation from outside.

When the police arrived after several minutes and everyone was back on the sidewalk the head recruiter pointed out people he wanted arrested. I was among them. I was shocked. But I cooperated and was cited. I asked lots of questions about why there had been selective pointing out of people. At first and for about 15 minutes no press were being cited. But finally the cops figured out that they had to cite the press too if they were going to site me. So supposedly they did.

All I can make of this is that if you are identifiable as a parent who has come in trying to figure out how to get a daughter’s name off recruiting lists and been refused that information, you are fair game for harassment. Until that point I had never participated in any recruiting protest. I support the soldiers wholeheartedly. I don’t support the war, the administration, or recruitment tactics. After that I went to one other protest on the sidewalk there when a CODEPINK colleague from another state went on to the property to hang signs not knowing how hostile these folks are. When the police came that time they wanted to talk to the ladies in pink. I had been trying to stay off their private property. I walked up to ask the cops to ask a question, and even though I’d done nothing on that property, I was questioned and had my name taken down by officers. Later hat day they came to my house too when I wasn’t there and harassed my daughter frightening her by telling her that they could arrest her mother if anyone pressed charges. For what I have no idea. I’m getting tired of being harassed by these recruiters who are also using the local cops as there goon squad – and both of these groups are paid by my tax money. What happened to protecting the rights of people?

I just end up having more and more questions. The army is publicly funded. Why are the members of the public selectively not allowed on the grounds of recruiting stations when there are no restraining orders in place? I also wonder about having press and documentary workers cited for criminal trespass for being in an office whose functions are paid for by the government. I wonder if I can sue the recruiter for harassment. I also need to figure out how to officially note that the police were not going to cite media until 15 to 20 minutes in to the citation process when it became clear that the charges were trumped up and selectively being issued on a personal basis having nothing to do with the protest.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

I'm trying to react with something other than despondency to all the regressive and repressive happenings and processes in the works.

My own meager contribution to the worldwide movement to counter the fundamentalist thought that is sweeping the globe and is being exploited by politicians with interests in furthering the rule of corporatism kicked into high gear shortly before the national U.S. elections last year. While I'd participated in dissent and protest prior to last fall, I had not helped to organize such actions. I gave all I could to efforts of organization, building regional and national links and bringing new energy to a very tired progressive movement when it needed to maintain energy no matter what the outcome of the elections. Goddess, it was hard. Like all women I had to balance the personal and the professional when both needed full time attention. I did the best I could for all that needed me. No one can do anymore.

I'm feeling guilty as a tug of conscience pulls me to step back up to the plate with U.S. Supreme Court fight that is beginning, the G8 protests and Live 8 counterpoint bringing attention to the horrific costs of inequity of resource access in the world, the treasonous actions of Karl Rove, The Downing Street Minutes proof that the need for an Iraq War was created through lies to the public to further Dubya's private vendetta at the expense of stopping a group that had attacked the U.S. on our own soil as well as the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi's.

I burned out at the end of May and decided to step back and rest for a month or so and just focus on home and family for a few weeks. (Living in the Southwest June is a good month to not do a lot as temps can top 110 degrees F. and just hanging out is a very good idea... sorta like snuggling in for a Fargo January.) I'm currently trying to figure out how to model what I believe. Walk the talk while dealing with a bone weary tiredness. It would be so easy to give up now.

I had the opportunity to host Medea Benjamin when she came through Tucson in May and I was once again struck by her energy and resolve. I can't expect to match such a significant public figure in energy or impact. Such figures seem to tap into reserves of strength and courage allotted to souls with historic paths to walk. But I have to do something. The future of my daughters and generations of women to come rest on the cumulative actions of women living today, including me. The opponents of peace and individual freedom paint us, women peace activists, as such ogres, but when I think of these profound events that are unfolding -- I call up images some very wholesome images. We work from the perspective Frank Kapra put forward in his classic film It's A Wonderful Life that is a beautiful illustration of the impact one good soul may have, as well as Preston Sturgis' film The Great McGinty(1940) which has two fugitive expatriate American men meeting in a tropical bar both discussing how a single decision in a weak moment changed their lives forever -- one man succumbed to a moment of honesty in a life of lies and crime and the other a man whose life was destroyed by a single moment of weakness and greed. Individuals and small choices have major impact. We have to believe that.

I see no reason that we (the people) can't rise up with enough outrage about the abuse of our rights and freedoms that our purported leaders feel they have to pay attention to our demands. The appointment of a lifelong supreme court judge by a president who committed crimes that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people should not be a done deal.

The use of National Guard troops to spy on families who have lost members fighting in Iraq, on old ladies and peaceful women is an outrage that the people would not support if they knew about it. We all just have to keep the information moving through alternative channels until a variety of views on issues are once again easily accessible to the majority of people without having to make special effort to find the information.

Friday, July 01, 2005

I attended what was billed via word of mouth invites as a "support group" for activists. What I agreed to attend was actually an "RC" attempt to gain a foothold in Tucson's activist community through recruiting leaders into RC.

Several things initially bothered me:

$ for nuthin' (and your chicks for free) -- nothing about world peace, activism, positive world change was discussed.

co-counseling seemed an eerie reminder of a scientology auditing -- and when i got home i checked into this feeling and found a very real link between the two.

rigid terminology and ritual actions

overly simple explanations and solutions

no end point or ultimate goal

what i call a "truth" mentality... which is a person or group's belief that there is one way to truth and just happens to be the one affilitated with that person or group.

In any case, the navel gazing and the belief in the need to push people toward discharge in all cases could be quite harmful and certainly such an autocratic rigidity has no place in the progressive movement as there would be no movement toward anything other than RC if this co-counciling catches on.

The best info on the web about the disturbing aspects of RC that I felt almost immediately upon entering the room where the meeting was held is at a site called disinformation.

Take the profit out of war and war will disappear. That was the essence that I got out of Naomi Klein's lecture I just watched on Access Tucson. That and the fact that Iraq was ready to begin the glorious process of running itself until Paul Bremmer was given despotic authority to level the unforeseen sticky wicket of Iraqi's mistakenly believing they would be integral to the establishment of democracy they had heard so much about.

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